Mafia

Alternative forms

• Maffia (less common)

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mafia, of uncertain origin. In the first instance, it is not clear whether the lemma in question is a Sicilian exonym or endonym, since written and oral sources on this term are scarce, the etymology remains uncertain and it's worthy of further investigation. It is possibly a regional term of the then recently established Kingdom of Italy; thus the meaning "spirit of hostility to the law" could be just derivative. The hypotheses put forward have been varied, but not very convincing from a reconstructive point of view. See Sicilian mafia for more. See, also, the Wikipedia article for more discussion of the origin of the word. Doublet of mafiya.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑfi.ə/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmæfi.ə/

Proper noun

the Mafia

2. The Mob: any particular mafia, mentioned uniquely within the discussion's established or implicit context, usually and especially the Sicilian-Italian–Italian-American one (especially in American English) but occasionally others (e.g., the Russian one, the Japanese one).

   Synonym: Mob

   1. The international criminal organization of Sicilian origin operating in Italy and the United States.

      Synonym: Cosa Nostra

   2. Any other specific organized crime syndicate operating internationally in high-level organized crime; often with a modifying adjective, such as a nationality.

      Somehow he managed to upset the Russian Mafia.

Proper noun

Mafia

1. A party game modelling a conflict between an informed minority (the mafia) and an uninformed majority (the innocents). Each player is secretly assigned a role within one of these teams, and the innocents attempt to identify the mafia members before they are all "murdered".

See also

• (party game): Werewolf
• Camorra
• capo
• godfather
• goodfella
• 'Ndrangheta
• omertà
• Thuggee
• triad
• yakuza

Alternative forms

• Maffia (superseded)

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mafia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmafi̯a/, [ˈma.fi.a], [ˈma.fja]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Mafia f (genitive Mafia, plural Mafias or (rare) Mafien)

1. mafia, Mafia

Further reading

• “Mafia” in Duden online
• “Mafia” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache